Utah Beach and command flexibility after a misplaced landing

A Higgins boat approaching Utah Beach under fire grounds twice before its soldiers wade ashore. The terrain differs from their briefing, and officers establish that the force has landed more than a mile south of its intended position. Tanks return fire while engineers and naval demolition parties clear obstacles. The commanders must decide whether to move the force along the beach or advance inland from the weaker position they have reached. In Stephen Ambrose's account, Theodore Roosevelt becomes associated with the decision to start the war there, while James Van Fleet claims in an unpublished memoir that he ordered the inland advance. Ambrose gives greater weight to the rapid agreement than to deciding who originated the order. The force exploits the unexpected landing instead of losing time restoring the original plan.